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AIBU?

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Original poster

To hate children that correct adults!

199 replies

englandsmistress · 14/12/2010 10:14

My colleague brings her son (9) in to the office today. As they leave I say to him "Happy Christmas, I hope santa brings you the most brilliantest presents"
To which he says, as he rolls his eyes skyward, "it's 'most brilli-ANT'"

and tuts.

Little, shit. He's not even cute Wink

OP posts:
FellatioNelson · 14/12/2010 20:16

I want to be a corrector, (it kills me not to be) but I hate to embarrass people.

PressureDrop · 14/12/2010 20:17

YABU. He's 9 yrs old. You are more grown-up-est. or something. Wink

I hate this phrase, but you need to hear it: Suck it up! Grin

FellatioNelson · 14/12/2010 20:17

Not that I am especially educated, just decent and accepting, I hope!

NonnoMum · 14/12/2010 20:19

He sounds bright and intelligent.

What self-respecting 9 year old would want to be cute?

Goblinchild · 14/12/2010 20:20

I agree that humouring adults who are either wrong or dim or who enjoy twee babytalk is polite, but it is hard to teach a child that.
I have a special hand gesture that I use for my son that means 'Don't say anything and I'll explain later'
Sometimes he doesn't see it, and as he runs on logic, he doesn't understand why he should put up with something being wrong, so he can be rather blunt.
But he's nearly an adult now, and looks it already. So he will soon be in that hallowed ground where he is not to be corrected.

Alouiseg · 14/12/2010 20:20

I actually think that the poor old op was doing her best to be jolly and christmassy and just called the age and standard of the child wrong.

Bonsoir · 14/12/2010 20:20

I don't think 9 year olds ought to be expected to humour adults that way. It's all wrong - adults should be civilised, children are learning what is correct. Not hurting the feelings of those who should be their elders and betters comes later.

Goblinchild · 14/12/2010 20:23

Perhaps he should just learn to raise a disbelieving eyebrow?
Or would that come under the heading of dumb insolence?

panettoinydog · 14/12/2010 20:24

I don't think the op was patronising at all. She was being friendly and knowingly used a silly made up word just to be jolly. That kid needs to develop a sense of fun and some good manners.

You bunch of bum-faced mimsies.

panettoinydog · 14/12/2010 20:25

It's nothing to do with humouring adults. It's to do with being able to make a little pleasant chit-chat with anyone, regardless of what your (probably incorrect) assumptions are.

Bonsoir · 14/12/2010 20:30

My DD is 6 and if someone spoke to her the way the OP spoke she wouldn't reply (she would be speechless with embarrassment) but would definitely quiz me once we were out of earshot about why someone had used such weird syntax.

I would cringe but remain silent.

Milliways · 14/12/2010 20:32

When DS was 5, first term at school, he asked his teacher "Mrs S, do you have your brain in neutral?" Xmas Blush

She had said that the moon was X,000 miles away, and he knew to the exact mile how far it was so put her right. He also used to be allowed to watch the weakest link.

I was mortified.

panettoinydog · 14/12/2010 20:34

My children would understand silly humour. I am a huge fan of all sorts of humour and a huge fan of playing about with words.

It really does sound prissy, all this quizzing and embarrassment.

defineme · 14/12/2010 20:36

I honestly don't think she was being patronising.
I think she was trying to be cheerful and kind.
I would hope that my kids would understand that and would respond in kind.

However, I honestly think parents who don't pull up kids up on this rudeness(I mean tutting at an adult Shock) are proud of their 'independence' and think they are very clever.

My godson is 9 and may have said this. His mother would have mildly reprimanded him and I would have laughed at the sheer cheek of it and changed the subject. I wouldn't have been upset, but I could be if I thought his parents were proud of him for doing it!

It's not the end of the world, but my 5yr old ds2 knows when I say 'watch your tone' that he's being rude/smug/unkind/know it all at someone's expense. He is doing it a lot less than he was 6 mths ago.

Bonsoir · 14/12/2010 20:38

My children understand silly humour too, but this isn't it!

SantaObsession · 14/12/2010 20:38

My Ds(4) would have corrected you OP. He's not precocious, bad-mannered or a little shit. He's socially immature, why I don't know yet as he's being assessed. He would not have a clue that you're being cute and playing with words, he'll take what you say literally.

I realise I'm probably too sensitive as it's too personal an issue but I'm bothered by this thread because I'm wondering if this is what I'm going to face in the future with DS.

thatsnotmynipple · 14/12/2010 20:40

Has anyone said this yet?

Hate children who correct adult, not that.

NonnoMum · 14/12/2010 20:42

Yep. The OP sounds a bit dim to me.

panettoinydog · 14/12/2010 20:42

" It was the asumption by the child that i wasn't aware that 'brilliantest' wasn't a word."

Thus spake the op. It was silly humour on the part of the op. Therefore ridiculous to be somehow offended by it.

Bonsoir · 14/12/2010 20:45

Given the context - OP talking about Santa bringing presents - to a 9 year old, the context is clearly totally age-inappropriate.

So hardly surprising that a word used within that inappropriate context not be seen as funny but as patronising.

Goblinchild · 14/12/2010 20:45

' I'm wondering if this is what I'm going to face in the future with DS'

It might well be the case SantaObsession, but you will learn to cope and to enable him to cope as well.

SantaObsession · 14/12/2010 20:46

Thanks Goblinchild.

panettoinydog · 14/12/2010 20:48

I really don't get your point at all, bonsoir. The context seems completely fine.

Introduced to unknown child, want to be jolly, use a made-up word.

Inappropriate context would be a job interview.

Goblinchild · 14/12/2010 20:51

Well SantaObsession, there was a time when it would have bothered me that an adult might hate my son for his response to an incorrect comment...but some adults get their knickers in a twist about all sorts of imagined insults, so I decided to stop worrying about a decade ago.

Goblinchild · 14/12/2010 20:52

'Introduced to unknown child, want to be jolly, use a made-up word.'

Just another sad adult trying to be down wiv da kidz innit. Grin